


these wild oceans

by wyverntail



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Boats and Ships, Don't worry there's no actual sickness, F/M, Felix is Seasick™, Going to Brigid!!, Married Life, background dimamari, felileth being felileth, post azure moon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-16 08:02:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29572914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wyverntail/pseuds/wyverntail
Summary: "How long does it take to get there again?" He muttered, leaning on his hands as he looked back out at the water."Petra said it should be around five days with good weather." With a concerned gaze, Byleth placed a hand on his bicep, squeezing it lightly. "Are you nervous about the boat?""I'm not nervous." He snapped as looked back at her with a harsh glare.Alright, he was nervous.
Relationships: Felix Hugo Fraldarius/My Unit | Byleth
Comments: 4
Kudos: 25





	these wild oceans

**Author's Note:**

> i started this drabble in november last year during nanowrimo because of a sprinto dare that said to write something about 'leaving the country'. 
> 
> this dare worked really well with my headcanon that felix gets seasick. 
> 
> i want you to know off the top that actual sickness does not happen. there is no vomiting lol.
> 
> anyway, enjoy this nonsense. it is once again, not my best work, but wHAT CAN YOU DO!!

The trip to Enbarr was lovely, really. 

Despite Felix's complaints of the heat, they'd enjoyed their time in the former Adrestian capitol. It had been far more pleasant than their past visits, thankfully, and for the first time, they had the opportunity to look around at the city they'd worked hard to rebuild after the war.

Enbarr had recovered significantly since the war ended. Byleth spent countless hours going back and forth between Garreg Mach and the city, making sure that the relations between the people of Enbarr and the Church were repaired since they were so broken at the end of the war. It was still an ongoing struggle— one she understood very well. One, she was still trying to remedy as best she could with what she was given. 

And even then, she still fought to make it better for the entire new country. 

Part of this effort included visiting their neighbouring countries to see what they had done to achieve success. 

Claude was now in Almyra as their king, and he was doing fantastic, as far as she knew. They kept in contact frequently, although she wished they would see each other more often. Claude and Dimitri's alliance was necessary, working closely together to improve Almyra and Fòldlan after all of the years of difficulty. And just like the rebuilding of Enbarr, the mending of relationships between countries was slow and steady. But it was getting somewhere. For that, she was grateful. 

On their southern border, they had their close friend Petra as the Queen of Brigid now. Thanks to all of their efforts, Fòdlan was also mending its relationship with the small country. Dimitri had insisted on visiting shortly after the war, though the opportunity had only come up recently, several years later. Petra was more than happy to accommodate their arrival, considering their prior meetings had been in Fòldlan, and Byleth was more than happy to tag along to learn more about the place the woman had told her of so many years before.

Having three leaders working together in an alliance meant they had correspondences often, but seeing each other in person was few and far between. An opportunity to get at least some of the crew together again was always a welcome event.

And now, they were on their way to Brigid, after so many years of talking about it. 

Felix stood leaning against the stone wall that lined the water, staring at the ships getting ready to depart in the port. His eyes followed the crew running around the boat enthusiastically from their view, prepared to go at a moment's notice. His hands opened and closed into fists as the wind blew by them, and he was watching the sails that were still tied up with a lingering unease— more unease than she was ever used to seeing in the man. 

Usually, he was stone-faced and composed unless he was frustrated. Then, it was an easy tell. 

But was he nervous? 

Her husband had seemed almost excited the night before, talking about learning new skills from Brigid that Petra had promised to teach him all those years ago. If anything, it looked more like he wanted to go home, now. And it was not an easy trip home from Enbarr.

Nudging him with her elbow, she caught his attention, slightly startled. His amber eyes went wide for a split second before settling into his usual harsh stare.

That was different. 

"What's on your mind?" 

"How long does it take to get there again?" He muttered, leaning on his hands as he looked back out at the water. 

"Petra said it should be around five days with good weather." With a concerned gaze, Byleth placed a hand on his bicep, squeezing it lightly. "Are you nervous about the boat?" 

"I'm not nervous." He snapped as he looked back at her with a harsh glare. 

Alright, he was nervous. 

Byleth began gently rubbing his arm in short lines, surprised by the revelation. She wasn't expecting Felix, of all people, to be nervous about boats. Was it the water? Didn't he grow up on the ocean? Had he never been on a ship before? 

She had so many questions. 

"Do you not like boats…?" She decided to ask quietly, scanning their surroundings to make sure no one was listening.

"Boats are fine." 

"What—" 

"It doesn't matter; we're leaving now." Felix stopped her from asking more questions, pulling away from her touch. 

Dimitri and Marianne started boarding their assigned ship, waving to Felix as he stalked on by them. He really was in an awful mood about the whole thing, and she was tempted to get to the bottom of it. 

Byleth watched Felix make a straightaway toward the back of the boat, ignoring everyone else on the ship. The crew didn't seem phased by his demeanour, though one elbowed another tall man in the gut with a grin as Felix walked by. They seemed to be in on something she wasn't. Strange. 

She kept her gaze on him as he stopped at the back of the ship, gripping the large wooden railing as he looked out on the horizon. Though she wanted to prod some more, Byleth figured he needed some space, considering they'd be in the same confined room for several days. She would give him that for now. 

He couldn't go very far for long, after all. 

But, until then. 

"Hey, Dimitri?" She asked, approaching her close friend. He looked more relaxed than usual, and she had to wonder if it was the water. It had the same effect on her, as well. There was something about the open ocean and salty air that made her feel at peace. 

"Hello, Byleth." Dimitri nodded, offering a small smile. "It is a lovely day to sail." 

"It is," Byleth found herself grinning at the statement. It really was a beautiful day. The wind blew their hair in a tangled mess around their heads, but it was worth it for the gorgeous view of the open sea. Enbarr had turquoise-coloured water near the shore, glistening like gemstones in the high midday sun. She would've stayed there staring out at sea with Dimitri for longer, but she had questions. "Do you know why Felix is in such a sour mood?" 

"Ah." Her friend paused, looking back toward the end of the boat. From their position, they could see Felix leaning on the railing, looking out at the water. Even from their distance, Byleth could tell how tight his shoulders were, obviously tense about whatever the hell was bothering him. 

Byleth raised a brow, hoping he'd continue. 

"He gets seasick." 

Oh, dear. 

That would explain it. 

If he would've told her beforehand, she could've prepared better. Byleth's shoulders sagged as she let out a small sigh, shaking her head. The topic of going on boats had come up before because of her love for fishing. Unfortunately, they'd never had time to actually go out to sea in Fraldarius because of their schedules. And other priorities.

But she was starting to wonder if that was by design.

"He didn't tell you?" Dimitri's brows furrowed. 

"No, no, he didn't." 

"Ah, Felix..." He huffed out a small laugh, looking back out to the sea. "We would go on a boat with Rodrigue and Glenn sometimes. He would always tag along because Felix couldn't bear to be left behind when he was younger, but he would always get dreadfully sick. But— don't tell him I told you that." 

"That explains a lot." She mumbled, leaning against the railing. "I should've brought peppermints."

Byleth had memories of her father carrying a pouch of small peppermints when fishing on large lakes, particularly Teutates. The choppy waters would make the man slightly queazy, though Byleth never had an issue. She just stole the peppermints because they tasted good. 

"Marianne brought some if you'd like." Dimitri offered, calling for his blue-haired angel of a wife. "Marianne?" 

"Yes?" 

"Could Byleth have some of your peppermints?" 

"Of course." Marianne reached in her pocket for the tiny white candies, pulling them out in a worn leather pouch. She handed them over to Byleth with a soft smile. "I don't need them much anymore, but I bring them along just in case. Do you get seasick?" 

"No, but I know someone who does." Byleth offered a small smile back. "Thank you, Marianne; I appreciate it." 

"Of course. Please, don't hesitate to use faith if you need to." 

Byleth furrowed her brows slightly at the woman, looked back toward Felix and back at Marianne, causing her two friends to laugh. They knew he wasn't the easiest to reason with, especially when it came to throwing magic at him. Marianne had particularly struggled to get Felix to sit still enough to get proper treatment during the war. The saint of a woman had left him several times until he came back looking for her unhappy.

"I will try. Goddess knows, I will." Byleth assured them. 

"Best of luck, friend." Dimitri nodded, leaning against the railing of the ship once again. 

"If he needs a Sleep spell later, please come find me." Marianne nestled herself beside her husband with a content sigh. Byleth hoped Felix would take her up on that offer later, but knowing him… It would probably be a struggle just to get him to move from that spot he was in. 

After waving her goodbyes, Byleth made her way up the stairs with the small pouch of candies in hand, preparing herself for the conversation to come. From the way Felix was hunched over, it seemed like even the boat's gentle rocking while it was docked was bothering him. Stood there with his eyes shut, leaning on the railing, Felix looked just about as miserable as she'd seen him since the end of the war. 

"Closing your eyes is going to make it worse," She said quietly, leaning beside him. That earned a muffled groan before he raised his head, resting his chin on his folded arms. "Look out at the horizon; it should help." 

Another grunt. 

"And stand up straight, hunching over won't do anything but make you more off balance." 

Felix let out a long sigh, standing up straighter than he was but still slightly hunched over. It almost made her feel bad how miserable he really did look. His face was paler now, all of the colour gone from his cheeks. Thanks to the humidity in the air, Felix's hair was starting to get wavy, and his eyes looked darker and more sunken in than usual. Byleth really never would have picked up that he would get seasick if they hadn't needed to go on this trip to Brigid at all. 

And this was definitely something they would need to work on when they returned to Fraldarius. 

But for now, she would try her best to get him some relief. 

Reaching into the pouch Marianne gave her, Byleth took a small candy and held it out to his lips. Of course, he did just as she expected. 

"I don't want anything," Felix muttered as he knocked her hand away, sounding less than enthusiastic. 

"I know you don't like sweets, but it will help, Felix." She said sternly, meeting his amber eyes with her own. He was glaring, but he didn't stare for as long as he usually did because his gaze quickly returned to the horizon. "It's not a matter of want. If you're going to get any rest during the next five days, we're going to need you to feel better." 

Byleth watched Felix mull her statements around in his head for a while before he looked back and glared. "I'm fine." 

"You're just going to stand here all night?" 

The boat suddenly lurched sideways as a larger wave hit, causing Felix to grip onto the railing for dear life. The only other times she'd seen him ill was the one time he had a cold and wouldn't let her near him for nearly a week, and the time he caught some sort of sickness. 

Growing up, Byleth hadn't gotten sick at all, but she'd been familiar with the effects from those around her in Jeralt's mercenary group. Jeralt had a similar experience to her, being without sickness, and the more she thought about it, the more she wondered if it was because of their circumstances. A blessing for them. But miserable to watch others feel so awful. Byleth couldn't even imagine. 

When Felix had a cold, he'd locked himself in his office the entire time, insisting he was fine despite the fact he was a miserable mess. Well, from what she heard through the door. Byleth would knock on the large wooden door periodically to make sure he was still alive, and he'd reply with a very stuffed up, " _Go away._ " 

She left a lot of soup outside his office door that week. 

For the sickness, he couldn't run away from her actually being able to take care of him. Sure, they weren't the types to fawn over each other and make things a big deal. But when they were injured, they sometimes made an exception for the softer side of married life. Byleth woke up to him shivering in a cold sweat in his sleep, though he was boiling to the touch. The nurse she'd called in said he had a fever and needed to stay in bed, which, once he was conscious, was quite a difficult task. 

Using several blankets to weigh him down and moving her work to their bed, Byleth was able to keep him in bed until he felt better. Still, Felix insisted on going to the training grounds far too early, in her opinion, but she could really only do so much with her stubborn husband. Once he had his mind on something, it was a struggle to keep him away from what he wanted, even if it was losing at a sparring match nearly immediately. 

Now, it was just the stubbornness again. 

Stubbornness for possibly five days in a confined space they had no escape from. 

There he stood, digging his nails into the wood railing of the ship, trying not to get sick, and they hadn't even started sailing yet. 

" _Please,_ Felix, just try." She softened her voice, placing her hand on his bicep. Felix glared at her hard, rolling his eyes as he let out a sharp sigh. It took him a minute, but finally, he nodded. It was the smallest nod he could do, but it _was_ a nod, and she found herself smiling inwardly— one small victory. 

Byleth held one of the candies up to his lips again, and Felix narrowed eyed it like it was some sort of enemy before finally opening his mouth enough for her to pop the candy in. 

A first, Felix grimaced at the taste, obviously unhappy with how sweet the tiny candies were. 

"This is gross." 

"Oh, relax." She rolled her eyes and gave a hearty pat to his shoulder. "Stand up straight. Eyes on the horizon." 

Behind them, the crew started shouting out orders to reel in the ropes and hoist up the anchor, signalling their departure. Byleth could see Felix's grip on the railing getting tighter, his nails digging into the smooth wood just to hold on to whatever he could. She wondered how they were supposed to sleep during the night if every jolt would send him reeling. Perhaps staying outside was the best option. 

"For the record, I will stay out here with you all night if I have to," She said quietly as she shifted herself closer. 

Felix grunted in response. 

"Since we're in the south, and there are no trees around, I can show you more of my father's constellations." 

Felix huffed out the whisper of a laugh at that, and she knew she'd gotten somewhere. At least that was one incentive? Shifting herself shoulder to shoulder with her husband, Byleth hooked her arm around his and squeezed his bicep as they looked out on the horizon. She felt Felix tense up more when he noticed the boat leaving the dock, but she quickly shifted his attention elsewhere, pointing out the various ships in the port. Byleth didn't have to look to know he was rolling his eyes as she enthusiastically identified a fishing ship. 

At the very least, it was good to know she was able to distract him if only for a moment.

As Enbarr started to get further and further away, Byleth felt Felix start to relax beside her. He began to lean on the railing more confidently without jolting at every rogue wave. And to her surprise, Felix held out his hand, searching for more of the peppermint candies. 

"Ha, not so bad, huh?" Byleth teased, shoving him with her hip. 

"Shut up, or I'll puke on you."

**Author's Note:**

> happy birthday felix, you asshole
> 
> title is from 'neptune' by sleeping at last but it has nothing to do with the fic lol


End file.
